Note the wood rail fence behind these horses.
Building a wooden three- or four-rail fence is a relatively straightforward task, as it requires only basic carpentry skills and the right tools. With a work crew of two, the job can be mastered and finished in a short time, so anyone can ring a property with a classic Kentucky horse farm fence.
Instructions
1. Set the fence line using the stakes and twine. The stakes should be driven where you intend to set the fence posts. The combination of stakes and twine will help you keep the fence straight.
2. While laying out the fence line, plan on leaving an opening for the gate. The width of the opening depends entirely on the kind of gate you choose, but it will definitely demand an adjustment in the spacing and setting of the fence posts.
3. Start to set the fence posts by digging holes using the mattock, shovel and post-hole digger. The holes need to be between 18 and 24 inches deep, and the sides should be as vertical as possible. Do not worry about making them of even depth (see Step 6).
4. Place a fence post in a hole, and while one person uses the level to position it vertically, the other fills in the hole and firms up the ground with the shovel and tamping rod.
5. Fasten the railing planks for the fence railing with hammer and nails. On a three-rail fence, each set of ends for the planks of the top and bottom rail will meet on the same posts. In a four-rail fence, these would become rails #1 and #3, with #2 and #4 alternating. Use two nails every time at every point that a plank is fastened to a post. Sometimes the planks will need to be cut with a chainsaw or handsaw to fit properly, and this will definitely be the case for corners and around the gateposts.
6. Cut away the top of the fence posts as needed to create an even look down the fence line, but be sure to leave at least a foot's worth of post above the top rail.
Tips Warnings
Some posts, such as those bearing the weight of a gate or facing a busy stretch of road, might need extra strength. This can be done by setting them in concrete. Dig the hole a few inches wider and set the post as normal, but fill the hole with quick-setting concrete. A variant on the wooden rail fencing features rough rails set into hollows that have been cut into the fence posts. The posts are set in the same way, with the rails being set into the hollows by hand and held in place by gravity.
Wear safety goggles when working with a chainsaw.
Tags: build, wooden, rail, fence, fence posts, fence line, four-rail fence, into hollows, stakes twine, will definitely, with chainsaw
